We can’t listen to the news today without hearing about the conflict in the Middle East. Why is there so much trouble there? We’ve seen unrest in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, the Gaza Strip, Egypt, and Libya. Why is the tension so great? Why is the Middle East the center of the world scene? An initial response may be the oil fields, but the Bible gives us a deeper and clearer picture to answer these questions.

The first book of God’s Word, Genesis, gives us a history lesson that tells us why this conflict is happening. Yes, it has its beginning in the Bible. Abraham is the father of the Jewish nation. God promised him and Sarah, his wife, a son. This was to be the start of the Jewish nation. They were getting very old and were still childless when they started to doubt God and His promise. Instead of trusting God’s promise for a son, they took the matter into their own hands. Abraham had a child with their maidservant. Through Abraham’s disobedience, Ishmael was born. God promised to multiply Ishmael’s descendants greatly and said they would dwell in the midst of their brethren (the Jews). Ishmael is the father of the Arab nations. Later, God kept His promise to Abraham and gave him the promised son Isaac. God said that these two people groups would constantly be at odds with each other. Since then, we have all witnessed the truth of God’s promise. The Jews and the Arabs are both great nations in number, reside in close proximity, and have been in constant conflict. God set this into motion as a result of Abraham and Sarah’s sin! And once again the Bible has given us another one of life’s answers by explaining the conflict in the Middle East.

The complete account of this story can be read about in Genesis 16-21. I remind you, the Bible has all the answers to life’s questions. His Word is truth. The conflict we observe today is rooted and established in God’s plan. Read His story!

Praying for you and hoping that spring and warm weather comes quickly!